


We Could Be an Anthem

by tomfoolery14



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Doctors, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 14:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17789219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomfoolery14/pseuds/tomfoolery14
Summary: Stuck in an elevator when the power goes out in the dead of winter, what other choice do Magnus and Alec have but to acknowledge they need to talk about something?orLove finds a way





	We Could Be an Anthem

“These forty hour rotations are going to kill me,” Magnus groaned, rubbing at the back of his neck gingerly.

Alec took off his scrub cap—the cute black one with a little rainbow stitched into the back that Magnus was horribly fond of—and tossed it into his locker. “I can’t wait to get off my feet. I think I’m going to sleep for the next two days straight.”

Slinging his jacket over his shoulder, Magnus leaned against the cold metal door of his own locker. “I think I’ll do the same, as soon as I get some real food; one snack machine meal a day is definitely not working for me.”

“What, you don’t like my strawberry Pop Tart and potato chip sandwiches?” Alec teased, pulling his jeans on. The cut of his hips stood out in relief and Magnus struggled to keep his eyes from wandering.

Directing his gaze down, to the spot on the edge of his right boot where the rubber was starting to peel away, Magnus hummed noncommittally. “I didn’t say that.”

Alec snorted playfully. “You didn’t have to. I’ve known you long enough to know what that look on your face means.”

A dull ache spread through Magnus’ chest at his words. He wasn’t the open book Alec thought he was if he didn’t know by now that after a long time working side by side in the same hospital, Magnus had fallen utterly in love with him. He held that secret close, though, because he knew just how bad rejection could feel. Adding the tension of a shared workspace on top was a recipe for disaster.

Thankfully he was saved from having to give a response by a notification on Alec’s phone drawing his attention away. A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as his eyes scanned the screen.

“What is it?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alec sighed, “It’s a text from my sister; the washing machines in our apartment building are fucked up again. I swear, it only ever happens when I’ve just worn my last pair of clean scrubs.” Shoving his phone into his back pocket in frustration, he pulled on his sweater and straightened the collar. “I’ll have to go to the laundromat on my way home. If I don’t, there’s no way I’ll be able to make myself go tomorrow.”

“Oh hey, don’t be ridiculous. You can come home with me. To use my machine,” Magnus clarified, twirling his key ring between his fingers to keep his fidgeting centralized. “We can order food and you can crash on my couch if you want. I’d be happy to have you.”

Alec started to protest but Magnus held his index and middle fingers up to his lips to quiet him. They weren’t touching, though the smallest movement would allow Magnus to brush the petal pink, delicate skin. He could, however, feel the Alec’s breathing, each exhale ghosting across his skin. “Don’t start with me, Alexander. You know I’m nothing if not tenacious.”

Fighting a smile by pursing his lips, Alec nodded, looking down at Magnus’ fingers still hovering in front of him, holding him back. “Okay.”

“Besides,” Magnus continued airily, stepping out of Alec’s space, “I’ve got a lovely bottle of red wine I was thinking about opening. Now I have an excuse. I hate to drink alone.”

They made their way out to the parking lot, the sky above already desaturated after the sunset took all the vibrant colors with it. There was no snow yet, because it was still early winter, but the temperature had already plummeted drastically. The wind was frigid cold and Magnus’ nose and eyes watered as they walked against it.

The drive home was quiet, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Alec fiddled with the radio knob a few times before settling on a station, tapping a rhythm against his thigh as he looked out the window. Magnus smiled to himself as he watched from his peripheral vision.

When they arrived at his apartment, they hurried from the car to the door to escape the cold that chased after them, laughing breathlessly. As soon as they got to Magnus’ door, the second on the left on the top floor, he shouldered it open and ushered Alec in behind him.

“You can just set your things down wherever,” he explained, waving his hand dismissively.

“Okay.” Alec carefully folded his jacket coat over and tossed it on the back of the couch, then set down his bag with his laundry on the floor.

Sighing long-sufferingly, Magnus flexed his shoulders to try to ease some of the tension. “Should we order food or do laundry first?”

Shaking his head with a laugh, Alec replied, “If I don’t do it now, I never will. Where’s the laundry room?”

“I’ll come with you; I’ve got some stuff to wash too. Just give me a second to grab it.” Magnus hastened to his room, to the hamper in the corner, and pulled out assorted items of clothing to toss in the laundry basket nearby.

His heart was hammering in his chest at the knowledge that Alec was in the next room. In the two, nearly three, years they’d known each other, they’d never been alone in his apartment. He’d hosted the Christmas party for work the last two years, and Alec had attended, but now, they were the only ones. And it felt strange, somehow. It felt like a milestone, somehow. And a segue for all the little thoughts he tried to keep buried so he didn’t lose himself in fantasy.

With the laundry basket on his hip, Magnus emerged from the bedroom to see Alec holding a pile of balled up scrubs, looking intently at the wall with his head cocked slightly.  “What’s got your attention?”

Alec turned abruptly, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be nosy.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Magnus said, coming to stand beside him and offering the basket for him to place his clothes in. “I wouldn’t have invited you if I wasn’t okay with you being here.”

The look on Alec’s face was still apologetic, but he nodded nonetheless, rolling his lower lip between his teeth. “I was just looking at this painting,” he explained, glancing pointedly at the framed landscape. It was an image of a small village, drawn in pen with a few extra flourishes added with water color.

“My mother made that. It’s the village I was born in in Jakarta—well, a depiction of what it used to look like according to accounts by my great, great grandmother.” A wave of warm nostalgia coursed through Magnus as he allowed himself to recall his mother for a moment. “She left Indonesia with me when I was four years old; my father had disappeared before I was born, and my mother believed that she could give me a better life here, in America.”

“That’s really brave of her,” Alec murmured.

“She was a pretty incredible woman,” Magnus agreed, smiling sadly. “She was always there for me, no matter what. And she made so many sacrifices for me so that I could have the kind of life she believed I deserved, no matter what cost she had to pay.”

Alec swallowed before asking, “How long has it been since she passed?”

“The year I started at the hospital,” Magnus answered, eyes on the painting.

“I had no idea.” Alec sounded shocked, and there was something kind of sweet about that for Magnus.

“I know,” he laughed, heading for the front door and waiting for Alec to follow. “That was a purposeful decision.” Pressing the button to call for the elevator, Magnus faced him.

Alec’s eyebrows were drawn in confusion. “But why? I would have—we all would have been there for you.”

“You’re a sweet man, Alexander,” Magnus said softly, reaching out to gently hold Alec’s wrist. “But I chose to go through it alone. I didn’t want anyone to pity me, or question my ability to do my job. I already felt like the deck was somewhat stacked against me at the time, and I didn’t want to add another disadvantage.”

As soon as the doors slid open, Magnus stepped onto the elevator. Alec followed close behind, arms behind his back. “I’m sorry you felt that way.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Magnus often chose to suffer in silence because, in all honesty, it was easier.

Suddenly, the elevator lurched sharply and all the lights flicked off. There was a very audible sound of machinery shutting down to punctuate it all.

“Fuck me,” Magnus groaned, setting the basket down. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to the occupants in the apartment next to his to tell them they were stuck.

Alec laughed, sliding down the wall to sit with his knees pulled up to his chest. “Do you believe in omens?”

“Don’t joke,” Magnus replied, joining him on the scuffed tile-like flooring. It was always cold, but because of the harsh winter conditions, it was worse. “Hopefully it’s just a short in the elevator or something.”

Alec sighed, letting his head fall back against the railing.

Magnus received a reply from his neighbor, telling him that all the power in the building was out and promising they would go get help. “Well,” he began, looking up from his phone, “we’re going to be here awhile. Power’s out in the whole building.”

“Mm. Okay,” Alec hummed, nonplussed.

“So I guess we’ll have to find a way to entertain ourselves.” Leaning forward, towards Alec, Magnus ran his thumb along the scratch of his goatee. “I already know about your brother and sister; what about your parents?”

“Um, what about them?” Alec asked, and there was a tinge of evasion in his tone.

“Are they still with us?”

He nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck. Magnus knew what that meant—he was feeling uncomfortable, anxious.

“We don’t have to talk about that,” Magnus said quickly.

Alec waved him off, picking aimlessly at the clothes in the laundry basket. “We just have a bit of a complicated relationship. But it’s fine.” He paused for a second before continuing. “My father and I don’t speak anymore. He’s not an open man, someone who can accept what’s different from what he knows. So naturally, being gay didn’t work for him. And after he and my mother got divorced following an affair he had, there was never a reason for me to speak to him. My mother and I are closer than we used to be, and we’re mending things, but it takes time. She used to be just as bigoted as my father, but she was able to have a change of heart. So we’re working on it.”

“That’s an extraordinary thing, to see a parent change for their child, to be better for them,” Magnus said gently, stepping carefully. “I’m glad that you can have a relationship with her on your terms.”

Alec nodded in agreement. “Did your mother know about you? Being bisexual.”

“Yeah, I told her when I was a teenager. She struggled at first, just to understand, I think, because some people still seem baffled by the concept and she’s from a very traditional upbringing,” Magnus explained, running his fingers up and down the outer seam on his pants. “But she made the effort and the change because she loved me. And I’m grateful every day that I was worth it.”

“Of course you were.” There was such deep sincerity in Alec’s tone when he spoke that it caused Magnus to look up, into his eyes. “It sounds like she loved you more than anything. And you’re pretty incredible and she had to know that.”

A small smirk spread across Magnus’ face. “You think I’m incredible?” It was playful, but he couldn’t lie to himself about his true intention, and it was possible Alec knew too.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Alec teased, shaking his head.

“Mm, yeah naturally.” Magnus shifted a little closer to Alec, moving the laundry basket aside. “Do you mind sharing some body heat? We’re going to be human popsicles soon.”

Moving his arm in so Magnus could sit against his side, Alec looked at him. His wide hazel eyes seemed to be searching for an answer of some sort. The seam of their arms where they touched was so warm, and the point where their knees touched felt exceptionally warm too. More than just body heat was radiating between them.

“I think you’re actually pretty amazing,” Alec blurted out, eyes on the wall opposite them so he didn’t have to face Magnus as he made his admission.

Magnus was temporarily speechless. He wondered for a split second if he was just having an auditory hallucination of what he wanted to hear. And then he realized that it had happened, it wasn’t just wishful thinking, but he had no clue what to say. “Alexander…”

“I’m sorry,” Alec apologized immediately, pulling his arm closest to Magnus against his chest to stop them from touching so directly. “I don’t want to make things weird or anything.”

“No, no. I…I think you’re extraordinary,” Magnus whispered, tentatively putting his hand on Alec’s knee. His grip was loose, so Alec could easily shake him off if that was what he wanted.

Instead, Alec turned to look at him, seeming to be braced for an impact of some sort, shoulders hunched. “You do?”

“I do.” This was the moment, Magnus realized. The moment where if it was meant to be, it would be. And he needed to know, once and for all, if this was anything more than a matter of the heart that would pass. “I like you, Alec.”

“I like you too,” Alec replied immediately. “A lot. I don’t usually—well, ever, really—do this but…I’ve liked you for a long time. Pretty much since I met you. And I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Me too.” Magnus jumped slightly when Alec’s knuckles brushed against his. “I thought it was best not to let myself hope that you might feel the same, because I didn’t want to it the chance to all fall apart. Because I care too much about what we have to do that.”

“No, I want to. To try.” Alec’s fingers pressed with light pressure against the spaces between Magnus’, fitting them together.

Looking at their intertwined fingers, Magnus felt a happy heat rush through his body. How many times had he looked at those hands and longed to touch them as something more than a friend? How often had the thought crossed his mind that it must feel amazing to be held by those hands?

“Can I kiss you?” Alec asked bluntly, chin slightly lowered.

“Please,” Magnus breathed. One moment he was taking a slightly shaky breath and the next he was tasting Alec’s lips, welcoming the breath he exhaled into his own mouth. He tasted like peppermint from the stupid Tic Tacs he was so obsessed with and the faint burn made his lips and tongue tingle delightfully. He’d been kissed before, a good amount, but this was the most spine tingling first kiss he’d ever had. And he knew he would remember it forever.

When they parted, Alec kept their faces close, noses pressed to each other’s cheeks and warm breath tickling skin. “You’re so warm and my face is freezing,” he chuckled, one hand coming up to hold Magnus’ jaw so carefully that Magnus felt his heart being squeezed in his chest.

“Then keep me close.”

**Author's Note:**

> come find me on [tumblr](http://royaltybane.tumblr.com)


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